<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Fish tank (feat. a bolt of lightning) by spherebleue</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24477328">Fish tank (feat. a bolt of lightning)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/spherebleue/pseuds/spherebleue'>spherebleue</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Turks are questionnable parental figure [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adopted Sibling Relationship, Also warning for Reno's mouth, Death for two fishes, Fluff, Gen, Slice of Life, So there is a corpse getting dismembered in a corner, Turk version</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 02:54:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,139</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24477328</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/spherebleue/pseuds/spherebleue</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Uuuuh Denzel ?” </p><p>“What ?” He swears if that lightning strike broke something, he was going to let her deal with it. Cloud had just started to appear more at the Seventh Hell after all that fiasco with the Geostigma and the remnants, Denzel didn’t want him to disappear again because his stuff got destroyed by his stupid pseudo sister.</p><p>”Is it normal for a fish to swim with its belly up ? ”</p><p>Or : Marlene is a smart kid. When she has to hide some murder evidences, she call an expert. Reno is happy to oblige. Rude is honestly just enjoying a good day at work.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Turks are questionnable parental figure [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767586</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fish tank (feat. a bolt of lightning)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So it seems like the muse have struck me yet again. I hope you will enjoy this one shot ! And please, if you uncomfortable with someone dismembering a body, well it's probably safer if you leave now. There is nothing graphic, but you never know. Thanks to Pakoyaaki for beta reading !</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Come on, let me try it !”</p><p>“No ! It’s too dangerous for you Marl’.”</p><p>Marlene pouts, balling her fist. She jumps again, tiny hands reaching for the thunder Materia held by Danzel, but the teen only raises it higher above his head.</p><p>“Stop it ! It’s mine anyway, Cloud gave it to me !”</p><p>“But I want to see the pretty sparks !”</p><p>This time, she grabs his arm, and applies all her strength to try to put it down. Denzel scowls, clearly reaching the end of his patience with his pseudo little-sister, before passing the Materia to his other hand.</p><p>“You’re too young for a Materia ok ? So leave it alone !” He shakes his arm, and along with it Marlene, until she finally let go of him. She drops to the ground with a yelp, immediately throwing him a venomous glare. It’s a good imitation of an angry Tifa : it would probably be scarier if it wasn’t on the face of a six years old.</p><p>“Look, Cloud will be back tonight, so just ask him for one when he’s here.” Denzel crosses his arms, Materia safely tucked under his armpits. “Not like he’s going to do it, but you can try.” She sticks her tongue out at him. Denzel rolls his eyes.</p><p>For a second, they’re at a standoff.</p><p>Then Marlene huffs. “I bet you don’t even know how to use it.”</p><p>“I do !”</p><p>“No you don’t !”</p><p>“Cloud showed me !”</p><p>“But you never used it !”</p><p>“I was going to when you started being a stupid pig !”</p><p>“I’m not a pig !”</p><p>“Yes you are!”</p><p>“You bullshit !”</p><p>Denzel is going to respond, when he suddenly do a double take and realize what, exactly, his precious and sheltered pest of a pseudo little sister just said. It stuns him just long enough for Marlene to throw herself at him yet again, grabbing his arm and yanking it down so hard that he nearly drops the Materia. He panics, fumbles to catch it as Marlene use him as a living climbing wall to reach her goal, manage to grab it from the tips of his fingers just before she reaches for it, then suddenly there is a flash and a split second later a bolt of lightning narrowly misses Marlene before disappearing in Cloud’s bedroom.</p><p>Both teen and child freeze.</p><p>In the room, something fizzles for a second. Then there is a tense silence.</p><p>Marlene and Denzel exchange a look.</p><p>“You’re ok ?” Ask Denzel, a bit shakily. She nods. “Then whatever happens, it’s your fault.” Marlene drops to the floor, pouting and clearly not fazed by the fact that she just avoided death by electrocution. Then she enters Cloud’s room. For a second Denzel wonders if he was that stupidly reckless when he was her age.</p><p>“Uuuuh Denzel ?”</p><p>“What ?” He swears if that lightning strike broke something, he was going to let her deal with it. Cloud had just started to appear more at the Seventh Hell after all that fiasco with the Geostigma and the remnants, Denzel didn’t want him to disappear again because his stuff got destroyed by his stupid pseudo sister.</p><p>”Is it normal for a fish to swim with its belly up ? ”</p><p>Oh. Denzel enters the room, and sure enough, in the fish tank by Cloud’s desk, still twitching with residual electricity, the two surgeon fishes are floating at the surface. Marlene looks at him. The fishes were a gift from Reeve, something to “liven up the room”. The teen hadn’t exactly understood, but he knows those things costed a lot, and that Cloud likes watching them swim. Marlene tugs at his arm.</p><p>“Your face is all screwed up. They’re not supposed to do that, right ?“</p><p>She’s starting to look at him with those puppy eyes of her. Denzel makes a quick calculation in his mind. It involves the effort necessary to hide this nonsense (a lot), what he will gain if he does it (absolutely nothing at best, a scolding at worth), and what he risks if he doesn't (it’s her fault, so nothing). Calculation done, he nods to himself, release his arm from her grip, and pats her on the head.</p><p>“Good luck with that.”</p><p>Then he promptly flees the room.</p><p>***</p><p>Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location:</p><p>“A’ never understood why those riches assholes like giant aquarium so much. Like, what’s the appeal, yo ? You can’t even fish in those. And half of the time they’re too small to swim in it.”</p><p>Rude makes an aborted motion that would have probably been a wave in the fish direction if he wasn’t carrying a body in his arms.</p><p>“Yeah, no, I get it’s for the fishes. But why ? Ya needs to feed those fuckers, clean their shits, clear their waters. And when you drown in their tank the first thing they do is starting to eat your ass - oh come on, I had it !”</p><p>Rude huffs a breath, dumping the body in the bathroom. Reno’s voice carries over him from where he is on the mezzanine, fishing out the target’s wallet from the aquarium with his Mag-rod. It’s a nice apartment, Rude thinks, with a beautiful marble fireplace that probably cost more than his yearly salary.</p><p>“Not like I complain. ‘Sure as hell make the job easier. Still don’t understand how so much of those fuckers don’t know how to swim when even I do.”</p><p>Rude doesn’t say that getting dumped in a water reservoir at four year old doesn’t really count as learning to swim. Instead, he grunts approvingly as he eyes the sleek red counter of the bathroom. It’s always nice to work in such a tasteful setting. The added bonus is that it’s going to be easy to clean. He lays delicately his vest on the couch near the aquarium, before rolling up his sleeves.</p><p>“Finally ! Remind me to steal their wallets before dumping them in the water next time, yeah ?  Anyway, got the key.”</p><p>With a click, Rude open the case they have brought for this particular mission, before carefully extracting the saw. It’s a simple thing, as effective as elegant in its design. Rude likes it. It had already served him well in the past, and it’s going to serve him well yet again.</p><p>A phone rings. He hears Reno answers as he starts his gruesome work.</p><p>“Turks, Reno here. Hey kid, nice ta hear ya ! Except, I’m kinda working here, so unless this is an emergency...”</p><p>Rude’s lips twitche upward. Say what you want about Reno, his work ethic is actually pretty solid. A fact that never fails to baffle the rookies. </p><p>“What ? What the hell happened? … Ah. Ok. Yeah got it. Had me worried for a sec’ here Marl’. Yeah I’m going ta help, no problem. Just gimme a sec, I’m putting you on speaker.”</p><p>There is a beep, and then Marlene’s little voice joins Reno’s. It’s a nice background noise, muses Rude as he work on a particularly solid chunk. The conversation they hold is even more soothing than Reno’s never ending monolog. It allows him to works in a sort of almost meditative trance, a peace of mind in which he lose himself. If he were another man, he would probably even start whistling.   </p><p>“<em>I got the photo. What’s it for ?</em> ”</p><p>“Id the corpses yo. Ya will need to replace them after all. Now you need to weigh them down. ”</p><p>At that particular sentence, Rude pauses in his work. Delicately placing the saw next to the mangled corpse, he pokes his head out of the bathroom to raise an inquisitive eyebrow in Reno direction. His partner turns his head around instantly, despite having been engrossed by the target’s safe (double security: a key and a code. Rude has seen Reno crack open a thousand of those, most of the time without it being a mission objective).</p><p>“She and her brother fried Cloud’s fishes with a thunder.”</p><p>Rude blinks, then snorts. Reno’s grin nearly splits his head in two, and it’s obvious for the bald man that he is holding on his laughter. As he retreats in the bathroom, Rude wonders how much time his partner will be able to restrain himself.</p><p>“<em>You’re with someone ?</em>”</p><p>“Yeah I’m with Rude. You know, tall dude, doesn’t talk much, always wearing shades ? That’s the guy. Ya found something to weigh down your fishes ? You can stuff them with gravels, that should do it. Usually we use cement, but, well, gotta improvise.”</p><p>No injury, actually good intel, beautiful setting that they manage to not stain : Rude nods to himself. A good day at work is a rare thing in their profession. It ought to be savored. He picks his saw and goes back to his works.</p><p>“<em>Denzel was mean!”</em></p><p>“Yeah ? What did he do ?”</p><p>“<em>He said I was a pig ! </em><em>« </em></p><p>“Oh. Well I’m a street rat. That’s kinda like a pig, but with more teeth, yo.”</p><p>“<em>But… that’s not a nice thing ?</em> “</p><p>“Hey, rats are smart, quick, and hard as fuck to kill. Sound like qualities, no ?”</p><p>“<em>I guess…”</em></p><p>Rude sits back on his haunch. Not his best work, but it will be enough. He cleans the saw and rinses it carefully, before drying it with the fluffy pink towel hanging from a hook on the wall. There is a click coming from the living room, follow by the unmistakable sound of paper.</p><p>“Ah. Easy. So are your fishes ready ? “</p><p>
  <em>“I think yeah. They’re as heavy as Cloud’s ugly paper thingy. Uuuuh, you know, the thing that hold stuff down ? Is it enough ?”</em>
</p><p>“Meh, should be. Time to flush them down the toilets.”</p><p>“<em>Ok ! I can’t take the phone here, so…</em>”</p><p>“Yeah, call me back when it’s done. We need to move anyway.”</p><p>“<em>Ok… thanks.</em>”</p><p>“Don’t forget kiddo : one at a time.”</p><p>“<em>I didn’t forget !”</em></p><p>There is a pout there, Rude thinks. He finishes stuffing the corpse in threes black garbage bag before throwing one next to Reno’s feet and hauling the two others on his shoulders. </p><p>“Just checking. Latter Marl’.”</p><p>“<em>By</em>e <em>Reno</em>”</p><p>Reno hangs up. His finger hasn’t even left the phone that he is already laughing. Rude stoically waits for him to calm down, pretending his mouth isn’t twitching up until he can’t take it anymore and chuckles along his partner. They both need a good minute to fully calm down.</p><p>“So, I was thinking of making her draw some fish on wood, but that would be sloppy as fuck. And it wouldn’t be a Turk’s job if Cloud realized what happened. Any idea ?”</p><p>There is a spark of mischief dancing in Reno’s eyes, and Rude has to admit it’s tempting.</p><p>“I might know a guy.”</p><p>***</p><p>There is, Cloud thinks, something different about his fishes. He taps the glass and looks at them scatter, frowning. He can’t really place it, but he has the feeling that one of them has a lighter color than before. Or maybe it’s darker ? And then there is the fact that Denzel is acting strangely since he came home. It’s like he is avoiding him, which is strange now that he finally caved in and promised him to teach him how to use a materia. </p><p>“Denzel ? Did something happened when I was away ? ”                        </p><p>There is a clatter, then the teen appears at his door, looking outright panicked. Behind him, Marlene appears not even a second latter.</p><p>“It’s Marlene fault ! I’m sorry !”</p><p>“What ? What is my fault ? I didn’t do anythiiiing !”</p><p>Denzel shots a dirty look at the girl, and she almost immediately tears up, her little lips trembling. Inwardly, Cloud goes from suspicious to full blow panic, because he may be Gaia’s Hero but he still doesn’t have any idea of what to do with a crying child.</p><p>“Hey, Marlene it’s ok, I’m sure it’s nothing.” There, that should calm her, no ? She sniffs, holding on her tears and looking at him with hope in her big eyes.</p><p>“But she killed your fishes !”</p><p>Marlene hiccups. Cloud glares at Denzel as he gathers awkwardly the little girl in his arm. How does Tifa manage to do thing like that all the time, he has no idea.</p><p>“My fishes are fine Denzel.”</p><p>Denzel looks at the tank, at the two fishes happily swimming in it, and blinks. And blinks again, but the two stupid fishes are still here, decidedly not dead. Denzel isn’t a fish expert, but he is pretty sure that they don’t come back from the dead.</p><p>“Let’s just go grab some ice-cream ok ?”</p><p>Denzel whirls around. Cloud is carrying Marlene, her little head on his shoulder. She sticks her tongue out at him, not a hint of tear in her eyes, and when the blond ask which flavor she wants, she goes right back to just a tiny bit teary eyed. She even responds with a wobble in her voice. Denzel stays still, gobsmacked.</p><p>“Urgh, sisters  are <em>the worst</em> !”</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Honestly, at this rate, Marlene is going to become a Turk when she grows up. Not that it will be a problem for Reno.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>